3 Tips and Tricks for a Sugar Free Halloween and Still Take Your Kids Trick or Treating!

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3 Tips and Tricks for a Sugar Free Halloween and Still Take Your Kids Trick or Treating!

Growing up my family and I loved Halloween and I wasnt worried about it being a sugar free Halloween. I certainly loved filling my bag with all of that high sugar loot and then sorting out my favorites and trying not to eat it all right away so that some of it would last. We always dressed up we would even try to add some scary Haunted House elements like chasing after the kids dressed as vampires on our Roller Blades. One year my brother decided to hide in the ivy that covered the front of our house and his plan was to fall face forward in the flower bed and lie there like a dead body when kids walked by to scare them, he had practiced it a couple times and it worked pretty good. He is very tall, about 6’4”, but there was enough room for his height so that he would not hit the sidewalk that bordered the flower bed. Well my mom, unaware of his plan, decided to move some rocks to line the edge of the flower bed. You probably know whats going to happen… When the first set of kids walked by on Halloween my brother let his body fall forward and his head hit the rocks, he was okay, but it certainty hurt and he just lied there and didn’t move. This totally freaked out the kids walking by; he achieved his goal but as you can imagine did not try the stunt again that night.

Fast forward to Today

Now as an adult and as a mother of a two year old I realize how sugar is not the best thing for my daughters growing body. Plus she has enough energy as it is and I don’t need the added sugar highs and sugar crashes that follow. Here are two articles you should check out that explain what happens when we eat sugar, Should You Let Your Children have Candy and Everything You Need to Know About Sugar. Now I am not going to say that I am perfect and have never given her sugar. We do have ice cream from time to time, but I do not give my daughter candy. We did dress up for Halloween last year and she ran around our Church spreading Halloween cheer but we did not go trick or treating. However I would like to be able to take my daughter out for the time honored tradition of dressing up and going door to door trick or treating. But how….

My Inspiration that Made a Sugar Free Halloween Within Reach

You may have heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project or maybe not. I stumbled upon this group which promotes having non-food treats like glow sticks or small toys as an alternative to candy for those kids who have food allergies. I thought this was pretty cool! My daughter doesn’t have food allergies but I would rather her bring home a bag of fun little toys than a bag of high fructose corn syrup and food coloring.

How You can get Involved and have a Sugar Free Halloween

1. The first thing you can do is check out the Map that the Teal Pumpkin Project has to see where the nearest houses and neighborhoods are to you where you can take your kid to have a sugar free Halloween.
2. The next thing you can do is join the movement and make your home a Teal Pumpkin Project home. By putting a teal pumpkin on your porch it lets families know that you have sugar free alternatives to candy like stickers or small toys, they also have free printables on their site you can print and put in your window. You can also pass out flyers in your own neighborhood or just talk to your friends and neighbors to get them involved too so that you have more house close to home your child can visit. I did some research through Amazon and have included some links to awesome sugar free alternatives that you can have easily shipped to your door before Halloween:
   • • Glow Sticks, the thing I love about glow sticks is that it also helps keep kids safe on Halloween by making them more visible when walking around in the dark.

   

   • • Small Toys, these are great as it gives you a nice variety of things for kids to pick through like when they are looking for their favorite piece of candy.

   

   • • Temporary tattoos, they have a lot of different kinds, Emoji, Assorted, and personally I love these Day of the Dead Sugar Skull tattoos.

   

   

   

   • • I came across this Play-Doh Halloween Trick or Treat Bag with 80 fun size cans perfect for handing out to kids and you can order them online as well.

   

   • There are lots of other things too on Amazon under Halloween Party Favors that you can check out as well but the above were some of my favorites.
3. Another thing you can do is ask your local Church or even your boss at work if they would be interested in having little stations throughout the building for kids to come and trick or treat during business hours and only offer sugar free non-food treats like the ones listed above. Many places already have bowls of candy at each office desk for Halloween, why not change it to little toys or temporary tattoos and if it is promoted it could boost traffic to their business so is a win win for everyone.

The Pineapple Aspirations Movement for a Sugar Free Halloween

Since the Teal Pumpkin Project is geared towards kids with Food Allergies I thought it would also be fun to add something additional that would mark a house as totally sugar free to support parents who just don’t want their kids getting overloaded on sugar each year but that still want to go trick or treating on Halloween night. I tried to think of another color pumpkin that we could add along with the teal pumpkin and then I thought, inspired by my blog name, what if we put a pineapple on our door step to indicate a totally sugar free house that only has non-food alternatives! I think it could be fun and that is what I will be doing this year. And I may even make a costume for my pineapple… Below is a free printable you can use to put in your front window to let others know that you are a sugar free house. And if you want to get your family, friends and neighbors involved I also created a free flyer printable you can use to pass out and get others involved.

Don’t Forget!

Let me know in the comments below if you plan on jumping on this movement and what you plan to do: find houses near you with teal pumpkins for trick or treating, get a teal pumpkin for your house or even a pineapple wearing sunglasses, etc.  Don’t forget to share with your friends, family and neighbors. Hope you have a safe, happy and sugar free Halloween! Also check out my other post on 1st Birthday Smash Cake or Fruit Cake! Allergy Friendly! Gender Reveal! which do not contain Refined White Sugar in them.

XOXO,

Crystal